A/N: I wasn't completely satisfied with some of the dialogue in Chapter 13…I just didn't feel it had the punch I was looking for. I've gone through and cleaned some of it up (or not as the case may be…I felt the Admiral might have used some more colourful language when he was talking to Rabb), and picked up on a couple missed words that I didn't pick up on the first three times I read the chapter over.

A/N 2: Wow…I'm really touched at the reviews for Chapter 13 so far…it was a lot of fun to write. I'm glad that the emotions I was trying to bring out came across for a lot of you. If you want, go back and take another quick look at it and let me know if the changes helped with the emotions or toned them down. (see A/N 1)

A/N 3:AngelaB (and others I'm sure): Fear not folks, our favorite Marine, the one we men love and the one most women want to be, will definitely continue to play a huge part in the story. (Meg will be making a bigger appearance in upcoming chapters too for those Meg fans…I haven't forgotten her, and why she's there will become clear soon) As I mentioned briefly in Chapter 13 Mac has been assigned to prosecute Harm and Skates. This has not changed, only the defense arrangement. Mac against the Admiral…its gonna be fun to write.

A/N 4: As touching as I felt AJ's retirement was in the season finale (I loved seeing him try to get chummy with the staff after years of riding them hard and putting them away wet (ask a cowboy/girl or someone familiar with cowboy/girls if you're confused by this statement)) in my heart I felt that AJ coming out fighting to defend one of his own was a much more fitting tribute. I just couldn't get rid of his method of getting Bud promoted though…I'm not too much of a man to admit that made me misty.

A/N 5: Wow…better keep this short…don't want you guys reading author's notes for half an hour before getting to the chapter. Anyway…I know this story is billed as a romance first and an action/adventure second…and I promise there's more romance to come (just some tickles so far, I know I know), but as the story's unfolded from my mind I keep expanding on Harm's time on the carrier. I knew I wanted to get him trouble, and I knew I wanted the Admiral to come blazing to his defense, and yes I knew I wanted to pit Mac against him to get the fires going between them again, but I had no idea it would get so big. I'm hoping to have the carrier portion of the story wrapped up in another two or three chapter. Well…so much for short. The curse of a verbose writer I suppose.

Chapter 14

USS Patrick Henry
Monday June 14, 2004
0900 Zulu

All weekend the Admiral and Bud had been picking Harm's brain, forcing him to remember every instant of the mission from take off to getting picked up by the Marines. When they weren't picking Harm's brain, they were picking Skates', and when they weren't with either of their clients they were questioning everyone they could get their hands on; comm. officers, pilots, RIOs, the Air Boss and his Pri. Fly staff, the Captain, XO and anyone they could find on the flight deck. According to the Admiral there were just two people they hadn't been able to pin down…the CIA operative who debriefed Harm when Webb went off to die and Lieutenant Commander Riley. No one had seen the CIA spook since the day he debriefed Harm, and Riley had gone missing some time after Wednesday when he had spoken to Mac. Now the four of them were sitting at a table in the Captain's wardroom, Mac sat at another table looking so alone and the Captain sat behind yet a third table. The time for questions was over, the Article 32 hearing commanded by the SecNav was about to begin.

"Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie, are you ready to begin?" The Captain asked Mac.

"I am skipper." Mac replied in a strong voice. Harm looked at her closely; not many would notice but Harm did…her voice had a brittle edge, and she looked tired.

"Admiral, are you and the Lieutenant Commander ready to begin?"

"We are skipper…though if I may, I would like to call a sidebar first." The Admiral said in his normal no-nonsense, all business tone.

"Quite unusual Admiral, but I will allow it. Would you all approach?"

Mac, the Admiral and Bud all stood up and walked over to stand beside the Captain's table.

"Alright Admiral, what's this all about sir?" Captain Ingles asked.

Before the Admiral had a chance to answer the growler phone on the bulkhead rang. Picking it up the Captain answered "This is the skipper."

"Is that a fact?" he asked a moment later. "Take them up onto vulture's row, they should be right at home, and show them some take offs and landings…hell toss them off the fantail for all I care."

A moment later the Captain said harshly "No, that was not an order XO, you should know better than that. How the hell would I explain how a gaggle of reporters fell into my wake? Just keep them busy...we don't have time for them right now."

Slamming the phone down he turned back the three lawyers waiting patiently. "I'm sorry about that Admiral…another Cod load of reporters just came on board…its literally turning into a circus out there. You were about to tell us why you requested a sidebar."

"Skipper…we still have not been able to locate either the Hawkeye pilot Riley or the CIA agent who debriefed Commander Rabb."

"How the hell could a pilot disappear off an aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean?"

"That is what we would like to find out Skipper. We request a continuance until that very question can be answered."

"I object skipper." Mac said quickly. "The onus is on the defense to produce their witnesses in a timely fashion. If they…lost one of them it can hardly be considered grounds for a continuance."

Rubbing the back of his head thoughtfully the skipper shook his head. "I'm going to have to disagree Colonel. The pilot in question is also someone who could be a key witness for your case. I am granting a 24 hour continuance to determine the whereabouts of Lieutenant Commander Riley. We will reconvene at 0900 tomorrow morning. Now get out of here…I'm not banging that damn gavel…I need to go play ringmaster to a circus of vultures. And explain to them why Commander Rabb isn't hanging from the nearest yardarm."

"Aye aye sir." Bud and Mac said at the same time while the Admiral just nodded.

"Before you go skipper…I would like to speak with you and the Colonel for a moment." The Admiral said thoughtfully. "Bud…please have our clients returned to their quarters."

"Aye aye sir." Bud said as he came to attention then turned and signaled the two Marine guards.

As the guards led Harm, Skates and Bud out of the wardroom Harm distinctly heard the Admiral say "Mac…I know its late for this question, but are you ok doing this? I know how close you and Harm are, but we can not chance any semblance of impropriety here."

The hatch was closed behind them and Harm did not hear Mac's answer, but he did see her looking at him before the hatch was made secure. The Marines then led both Harm and Skates back towards their quarters while Bud followed Harm to his.

"If you have a moment Commander?" Bud asked lost in thought.

"Bud…what am I going to be doing until tomorrow morning? I don't exactly have tickets to the opera." Harm said with an easy laugh.

Smiling self consciously Bud nodded quickly. "I suppose not sir. I just have some questions that have been bugging me that you might be able to help me clear up."

"Come on in Bud…I don't have any beer, but I'm sure we can make do." Harm said as the guard opened the hatch to his quarters.

Sitting down at his table Harm motioned for Bud to take the other seat. "What's on your mind Bud?"

"Well sir…I've been thinking about the comm. recordings…about how we can't find some of them. Do you remember that case we were working on when that Marine Lieutenant switched the comm. tapes with blanks in order to protect his friend?"

Nodding slowly Harm wondered where Bud was going with all this…the tapes weren't just blank, they were missing.

"Well sir, I can't help but think something like that is going on here."

"But Bud, we don't have blank tapes…they're missing."

"I know sir, hear me out. Are the tapes that are missing really relevant to our investigation?"

Harm thought about what Bud and the Admiral had told him. "Not really…most of them are from earlier in the day…late afternoon."

"Exactly sir…before you began your mission. And the ones that do take place during your mission, well sir something about them hasn't sat right with me since the start of all this. Its almost as if…" Bud stopped as his eyes lit up. Harm knew that look…that was the look Bud got when he made some unexplainable leap of logic that usually turned out to be correct. "Sir…what if those tapes were accurate?"

"How can that be Bud, I know what I said, and a lot of it is missing from those tapes."

"Exactly sir. Its missing…but that doesn't mean those aren't the original tapes. Maybe they've simply been…altered. Bits and pieces taken out."

"How would they do that Bud?" Harm asked as his hatch opened up.

"How would they do what Commander?" the Admiral asked as he entered the room. "Keep your seats gentlemen."

"Sir, Bud was just exploring something that's been bothering him."

"Well Lieutenant Commander?' the Admiral asked as he sat down on the edge of Harm's rack.

"Sir, since we've got here something's been bothering me about those comm. tapes they've got from the night of the incident. I'm sorry sir it wasn't until this morning that I sorta figured out what it was…although we'll need to find a way to verify it."

"Spit it out son."

"Yes sir…Admiral…parts of those tapes…the conversations on them…they end a little too quickly sir…almost in midword, or midsentence."

"Are you sure Lieutenant Commander?" the Admiral asked leaning forward. He'd learned a long time ago that Bud came up with insights his other lawyers missed.

"Not completely sir, but it sure sounds like it to me, and I think I know a way we can prove it."

"What about the missing tapes Bud?" Harm prompted.

"Missing tapes Bud?"

"That's right sir…Admiral…the missing tapes. I've been thinking about those as well…most of them have nothing really to do with the investigation…they're from earlier in the day…the afternoon and early evening."

"Before Rabb's mission." The Admiral said quietly as what Bud was saying sank in.

"That's right sir."

"How could we miss that." The Admiral said in wonder.

"Easily sir…it was a glaring hole…something someone knew we'd look at…we couldn't help it…it was just…well sir, there. It was easier to 'look at' the hole left behind by the missing tapes than it was to look at the tapes that were there. Really sir it reminds me of this Star Trek episode where…"

"Well done Lieutenant Commander." The Admiral said as he stood up, breaking Bud off in mid-analogy. Bud couldn't help but beam at the praise from his commanding officer. Beam and blush. "Lieutenant Commander, I want you to examine the tapes that are there…find me something that can prove they've been altered."

"What are you going to do sir?" Bud asked hesitantly.

"I'm going to find our two witnesses, more than ever I want to speak with those two. We can't hang our whole defense on the comm. tapes, but it's a start."

Harm sat there watching the Admiral and Bud go back and forth coming up with a new angle to their plan to prove his and Skates' innocence. For the first time in more than a few days Harm felt that things were almost right.

2350 Zulu

Harm came awake as the pounding at his hatch penetrated the fog of sleep. "Commander?" Bud's voice asked after the banging stopped.

"Bud? What time is it?" Harm asked squinting at the figure outlined by the light in the passageway outside the hatch.

"2350 sir. We've found Riley?"

Instantly Harm was sitting up in his rack rubbing his eyes to help them adjust to the light. "Where was he?"

"In a storage locker in one of the machine shops sir."

"In a storage locked?" Harm asked not sure he heard Bud right.

"Yes sir. Commander, he's dead sir." Bud said quietly.

"Dead?" Harm was now fully awake.

"Yes sir. The Admiral has asked me to bring you to sickbay to make a positive identification."

Running his hand through his hair Harm stood up and stretched. "I don't think the Admiral had boxers and a t-shirt in mind Bud. Let me pull on a flight suit, I'll be with you in a minute."

"Yes sir." Bud said and then ducked back through the hatch.

Opening his locked Harm saw the picture he'd put up of him and Mac and stopped. It had been taken so many years ago, the first time he had taken her up in Sarah. They looked so young, so happy. What happened to that? Why couldn't they be like that again? God, what he would do to be able to turn the clock back…to go back to those early days when they were still getting to know each other…finding out what made each other tick. Before the fighting had gotten so bad.

Another knock at his hatch brought Harm's thoughts back to the present. "Be right there Bud!" he called and then he grabbed his flight suit out of his locker and quickly slipped it on. Running his hand through his hair again Harm decided one of the ship's ball caps wouldn't be out of order and grabbed his off the shelf in his locker. With a last look at the picture he closed the door of his locker and went out to meet Bud.

Five minutes later Harm, Bud and Harm's ever present Marine guard entered sickbay finding the ship's doctor, the Admiral and Mac all standing over a body stretched out on a table. Harm couldn't help but notice that Mac must have been sleeping…her normally carefully arranged hair was still disheveled and a lone strand of her hair drifted off on its own across her face. He loved the way her chestnut hair framed her face …and right now his hand itched more than normal to reach up and touch her hair…to lightly caress her face…

"I'm sorry Admiral…what were you saying?" Harm asked when he realized everyone was looking at him.

"I realize its late Commander, but try not to go back to sleep until you hit your rack again. I asked if this was Lieutenant Commander Riley."

Looking down at the man lying on the table covered by a simple white sheet Harm nodded. "Yes sir…he came aboard at the same time as Me…the new weapons officer."

"A little over a week ago?"

"About that sir."

"Good enough. Commander please provide Lieutenant Commander Roberts with digital photographs of this man." The Admiral said addressing the doctor. "Bud, I want you to email those photos to Sturgis. Have him check with NCIS to see if they can dig up anything on him…have him get in touch with that Gibbs…maybe he can find something out for us. Tell him it's a rush job."

"Aye aye sir." Bud and the doctor both said.

"Commander Rabb…I don't think we require your services anymore. You may return to your quarters to continue the sleep that you so obviously crave."

"Aye aye sir." Harm said as he came to attention. "Corporal…lead the way."

As he and the guard left sickbay Harm heard the Admiral ask the doctor "Commander, if you had to take a guess, how would you say this man died?"